How Texting Can Improve Your Customer Service

Many SMEs want to diversify their single channel platform used for customer service, by integrating more ways customers can contact their businesses. However, a great deal of SME owners question just how long it would take to implement a fully functional omnichannel for their existing and/or future consumers to use.

One way this can be quickly achieved is converting from a landing conversational platform to a texting channel. However, this kind of platform is not always welcomed with open arms.

Giving up personal information is still met with caution by customers, as large corporations use their information to send automated texts, and is even given to third parties to be used for marketing texts.

But on the flip side, small businesses will not give their customers’ information to a third party. So customers can be assured it will only be used by employees within their company for the purpose of contacting them on relevant matters. For example, the GP may send patients a reminder through text that they have a doctor’s appointment coming up.

Customers are more likely to find another rival business offering the same service, if they can make quicker, more immediate contact with them. So they best way for small businesses to speed up their contact is through texting.

The fast nature of texting also allows customers to feel as though their concerns are being processed in real time, by someone who will be able to fully understand the meaning behind their message. More often than not, a customer’s written or verbal concern will be sent to a contact centre based in another continent where the agent assigned to deal with said concern may speak English as a second or third language. And this can be extremely irritating.

Conversing using texts can be seen as a more “freeing” form of communication, as customers can send a text anytime they want, and once sent, can carry on with their day detached from their phone until they receive a response. All of us have had a phone call where we’ve had to endure some hideous instrumental song being played on repeat, while we wait in line for a service provider to answer our query… oh the frustration it conjures up!  

Essentially, what you take away from this is that a customer should not have feel the annoyance of being put on hold any longer. Texting eliminates the stress and almost ensures customers will have a positive and easy experience with your business.